SCUTTLEBUTT 1495 - January 13, 2004

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SAFETY GUIDELINES
This past weekend at its Annual Meeting, hosted in Annapolis by its
Chesapeake Bay Station and Commodore Dick Neville, the Storm Trysail Club
(STC) adopted its own Recommended Guidelines for Safety. Since the 1998
Sydney-Hobart Race, the Safety at Sea Committee of the STC has sent three
questionnaires to the STC membership and sought input from experts and
other organizations such as RORC, US Sailing, and CCA. The resulting
Guideline represents the opinion of the STC only.

It is interesting to note that while approximately 25% of the STC members
believed that the use of PFD's and harnesses should be left to the
discretion of the captain (owner) and crew, an overwhelming 75% believed
the STC should be more pro-active and issue guidelines and recommendations
that might, in certain cases, be stronger than existing regulation or
prescriptions.

STORM TRYSAIL CLUB RECOMMENDED GUIDELINES
The Storm Trysail Club (STC) as a service to competitors may prescribe
certain safety equipment and procedures, but sailing is an inherently risky
activity and it is the captain (owner) and crew's responsibility to use
their best judgement regarding participating in a race, continuing to race,
and the use of safety equipment and procedures.

Except as modified by these STC Guidelines, the provisions of Section 5
"Personal Equipment" in the Offshore Special Regulations apply. STC
Guidleines take precedence whenever they exceed the requirements of Section
5, except competitors are not required to wear personal flotation or
harnesses while starting or finishing unless the captain (owner) so
requires or any one of the conditions in the following paragraph apply.

A harness (with tether) and lifejacket with whistle and reflective material
shall be worn:
a) between the hours of sunset and sunrise
b) when alone on deck
c) when reefed
d) when true wind speed is 25 knots or above
e) when visibility is less than one nautical mile

For Category 3 and 4 races, the harness (with tether) is recommended but
not required.

Each crew shall carry a personal strobe between the hours of sunset and
sunrise.

In any case, any and all safety equipment should be utilized by the crew
whenever conditions warrant.

Competitors specific attention should be directed to the Racing Rules of
Sailing 2001-2004 Fundamental Rule 1.1 which states "A boat or competitor
shall give all possible help to any person or vessel in danger."

The STC reserves the right to alter these Guidelines at any time.

OLYMPIC EQUIPMENT EVALUATION
Following the first part of the Olympic Windsurfing Equipment Evaluation
Event in Cadiz in September 2003, the application form for designs to be
entered into the second phase, in Torbole, Italy, is now online. The
objective of the Equipment Evaluation Event is to identify suitable
equipment to be selected for use at the 2008 Olympic Regatta, Beijing.

In order to achieve the best results, ISAF will choose a balance of men and
women sailors from a wide range of weights, geographic regions and
disciplines to participate in the Evaluation Event. Current Olympic class
sailors, professionals and Formula class sailors will be invited to help
evaluate the equipment in a wide range of conditions including heavy air
and light air sailing, course racing and slalom and speed tests.
http://www.sailing.org/technical/App_Windsurfing04.pdf

ALWAYS THE BEST
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Shirts, Coolmax shirts, Neoprene Hiking pants, Mylar bags etc. Visit the
Camet website at http://www.camet.com

FOR THE RECORD
Francis Joyon rounded Cape Horn on Saturday, taking just 49 days, 2 hours,
21 minutes from his start in Brest, France in November. He is at present 13
days and 3 hours ahead of the pace set by the current record holder, Michel
Desjoyeaux.

Desjoyeaux's record was set onboard the Open 60 monohull PRB during the
2000 - 2001 Vendée Globe (see the World Sailing Speed Record Council
website at the address below Joyon is sailing the (90-foot) trimaran IDEC,
ex-Sport Elec, on which Olivier de Kersauson set a crewed Jules Verne
Record in 1997. That record is now held by Bruno Peyron, both de Kersauson
and Peyron will challenge the record in the coming weeks, as will Steve
Fossett's Cheyenne (ex-Playstation).

The Jules Verne Record is 64d 8h 37m 24s. Desjoyeaux's record is 93d 3h 57m
32s; if Joyon can maintain his current lead he could finish in 80 days. In
1997 de Kersauson and team sailed the same boat around the world in 71d 14h
22m 08s -- getting anywhere near that time singlehanded would be an
astonishing accomplishment for Joyon.

THE SELECTION PROCESS
An anxious wait ended for Christina Bassedone and Katherine Hopson after
their places in the British Olympic team for Athens were finally confirmed.
Though the crew they beat for selection twice challenged the decision, the
British Olympic Association decided that Bassedone and Hopson will take
part in the women's 470 class. They also confirmed team places for Natasha
Sturges in the women's Mistral windsurfer and Laura Baldwin in the women's
Europe single-hander.

Originally these selections were subject to performance criteria before
they were to be confirmed by the Royal Yachting Association, but they have
all now been given unconditional status. "It got quite messy with the
appeals process, when the other team said, 'How can the trial continue with
only one boat?'," Bassedone said on the opening day of the Sail Melbourne
regatta in Australia, after which they led the class. "But the RYA said
they could see only one team with the potential. We'd always planned our
programme as if we were going to Athens. Now we can believe it."

It was Josie Gibson and Sue Parkin, the latter having competed in three
Olympics, who challenged the RYA's selectors' decision to select one crew
from the Cadiz trials but then apply a further test. They argued that it
was illogical to halt the trial when the crew chosen were not a definite
pick. - Tim Jeffery, The Daily Telegraph, full story: http://tinyurl.com/2w64s

AWARDS
Yahoo! Australia and New Zealand gave its users the opportunity to choose
one site to be highlighted as the Pick of the Year and the Rolex Sydney
Hobart Yacht Race web site has been named 2003 Site of the Year. A late
surge of on-line voting on the final day of the competition, December 31,
cemented the Rolex Sydney Hobart web site's top position. "Traffic to the
site was beyond expectations, with 569,626 user sessions and 5.6 million
page hits, a 250% increase on 2002," said CYCA web developer Adrian Wiggins
from Massive Interactive.

Hitwise.com.au statistics reveal the incredible traffic propelled the site
to become the number one sports site for Australian internet users over the
first three days of the race, ousting racetab.com.au and
theworldgame.com.au from their customary positions. For the same period in
2002 the site peaked at the number two spot in the sports category.
Needless to say the site also trounced other yachting sites with over 65%
of traffic in Hitwise.com.au's Sports - Yachting/Boating subcategory.

"Having spent thousands of hours developing the site, we are extremely
pleased that our concept for a website for our great ocean race has been
validated first by collecting a Silver World Medal in the Best Innovative
Feature category of the 2003 New York Festivals Interactive Awards in
December and secondly by being named Yahoo!'s top site for 2003 in
Australia and New Zealand. - Lisa Ratcliff

NEWS BRIEFS
* According to a report on the Yachting World website, a record 29,800
visitors attended the London Boat Show last Saturday. Not a bad day. -
http://tinyurl.com/3e7ks

* Brad Funk and Anna Tunnicliffe were 'on fire' at the US Sailing Center -
Martin County, Florida last week. First they won the 66-boat Vanguard 15
Midwinters by 23 points over Chris Ashley and Alison Berenback, and then
teamed with Colin Merrick / Amanda Callahan and Mark Mendleblatt / Liz
Bower their CABLAM team also won the team racing event that followed. Full
results:
http://www.usscmc.org/regattas/v15fleetresults2004.htmhttp://www.usscmc.org/regattas/

* Jud Smith and Henry Frazer dominated the second regatta of the Etchells
Mid-Winter series, sponsored by Alpine Jaguar over the weekend of January
10th and 11th on Biscayne Bay, FL. Smith scored 1,2,2,1 and discarded a
10th to win the Sid Doren Memorial Regatta. Phil Garland was second with 10
points and Robbie Doyle, sailing with sons Tyler and Ethan were third in
this 50 boat fleet with 26 points. - http://www.etchellsfleet20.org/

* ISAF is to hold a first International Umpires Conference in Southampton
on March 26-28. ISAF hopes to see as many International Umpires (IU) as
possible in Southampton to take advantage of this opportunity to meet with
other IUs and further develop their skills and knowledge through planned
exercises, lectures and participation in group discussions. The Conference
will be chaired by John Doerr (GBR), Chairman of the International Umpires
Sub-committee (IUSC), with presentations by a number of IUSC members and
IUs with expertise in specific areas. -
http://www.sailing.org/sc.asp?ID=Umpires_Conference_2004

* In recent issues of Scuttlebutt, discussions of the Racing Rules of
Sailing and the COLREGS have frequently referenced the Charles Jordain vs.
Endeavour case. Readers interested in the original full decision from the
First Circuit Court of Appeals can find it at:
http://www.ca1.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/getopn.pl?OPINION=94-2193.01A

* Oops - Somehow we failed to identify Michael Fortenbaugh as the writer of
the nice letter about Hannah Swett in yesterday's Scuttlebutt.

THE WINNER AT KEY WEST RACE WEEK ALREADY DETERMINED
KWRW is a week off but the Dryshirt™ has already been named the winner of
the event. Many of the top teams have recognized that staying dry and out
of the sun's damaging rays keeps the crew fresh and less drawn down by the
real effects of exposure. The Dryshirt™ sheds the water like a spray top
through a recently patented 3M process while maintaining its breathable
feature. Coolmax™ and Dryfit™ materials are not similar to the
revolutionary Dryshirt™. There is still time to place an order and have
them delivered in time for Key West. 1(800) 354-7245
http://www.sailingproshop.com/dryshirt.htm

LETTERS TO THE CURMUDGEON (editor@sailingscuttlebutt.com)
Letters selected for publication must include the writer's name and may be
edited for clarity or space - 250 words max. This is not a chat room nor a
bulletin board - you only get one letter per subject, so give it your best
shot and don't whine if others disagree.)

* From Tim Dick: Mt. Gay hats from the 2001 Sydney-Hobart were on sale at
the sponsoring Cruising Yacht Club of Australia in Sydney in January of
2002. As a sailor, I felt that as I had not "earned" the cap (we were
merrily chartering in the rigors of the Whitsundays islands) and could not
honestly live up to the obvious questions about "how was it out there" and
did not buy one (or a dozen). Imagine my regret when I found they are
fetching the best part of $100 on eBay! I'm pleased Mt. Gay is tightening
up the distribution. (For sailors who are more relaxed, the a certain
liquor store in Sausalito, CA has a few hats on display that they are
willing to part with...)

* From Dallas Johnson: My counterfeit Mt. Gay hat is one of my favorites.
Arrest me if you want, but I worked harder for that hat than any of the
others I've "earned".

Curmudgeon's Comment: Enough already. This thread is officially dead.

* From Britton Chance: While we got a good picture of Augie's family
background. Maybe some of you forgot Hannah's lineage: Her aunt Jan
O'Malley (Rolex) and Women's World Champ, grandy pappy Brit Chance Olympic
Gold '52 and E Scows plus her Great Grand Pappy and his brother plus Ed
Schoettle introduced E Scows to Barnegat Bay and much more offshore
competitions stuff due Henry, Brit's brother and the Gibbons - Neff family
- Hannah's gene pool is loaded!

* From Tom Whitmore: It's great to see Augie Diaz receive the Rolex award.
Many years ago, in the first race of the J-24 Mid-winters we were involved
in collision with Augie while rounding the gybe mark in planning
conditions. The large hole in our boat caused us to drop out and as I
recall Augie retired. On shore Augie searched us out and was nearly in
tears with remorse for the damage he had caused us. He not only volunteered
to witness for us but counseled us on applying for redress. After the
hearing Augie then went about procuring the materials and help needed to
repair our damage and get us on the water again the next day. Augie is
truly worthy of this award as he has the qualities that make a great
competitor; great sailing skills, true sportsmanship and a healthy sense of
humor.

* From Jimmy Johnson: Wow! With a huge congratulations and respect for
Diaz, I am stunned that Van Liew was not recognized as the Yachtsman of the
year. Risking everything in his life (including life itself) and devoting
10 years to a seemingly unreachable goal, Van Liew not only broke the
barrriers of American achievement in the world of offshore racing - but
shattered all limits of "sailing" sponsorship - bringing in mainstream
companies and landing worldwide media attention, which benefits the sport
and all sailors worldwide.

His achievement (and humble sportsmanship to boot) seems to warrant
something more than the Around Alone prize (nada). Weekend regattas seem to
pale in comparison when I imagine 150 days alone at sea. Cheers to Brad and
all others who have dared to dream.

* From Dwight Gertz: With all due respect to the Coast Guard (I retired
from the Navy as a Captain and understand something of what the USCG does),
do they even know what recreational boaters actually do? Imagine two
scenarios: powering along in a flat calm, I serve dinner in the cockpit--am
I breaking the law if I don't wear a lifejacket while tossing the salad? My
daughter and I take our 12 foot whaler out to the middle of our cove and
drop the hook while we go for a swim on hot and sunny day - does that
require me to wear a lifejacket?

* From James H. Stevralia: Having sailed with, against and watched the
members of high profile team racing teams including the New York Yacht Club
team, each and every team member including such notable sailors as Karl
Ziegler, Dean Brenner, Mike Zani, Mason Woodworth, etc. wear a PFD every
time they leave the dock. This is a sign of their commitment to their own
personal safety. It is also recognition of their status as leaders in the
sport.

I also want to note that Team One and the Jamie Boeckel Memorial Fund have
available PFD's dedicated to Jamie. A portion of the purchase price is to
be used in the goal of the Fund which is to promote education and safety at
sea among the young sailors.

Should wearing of PFD's be "mandated"? That is a different question.

* From Susan Epstein: Rob Henderson who questions ".... why Paul Henderson
wants 25% of the [ISAF] council to be female...." answers the question by
his very asking it. For starters, he should know that women buy boats, all
kinds, big and small, racing, cruising, PHRF, one-design. Women sail
recreationally and competitively, inshore and offshore, nationally and
internationally, as skipper and/or crew. Count the females in Wednesday
night PHRF races, intercollegiate regattas, or jr. programs. And, don't
discount any as sailors, because they are not at the helm. I'd bet women
are 30-40% of these competitors.

Consider the National Women's Sailing Association and other organizations,
established by women, to give women access to and education in a sport that
was (is) both male run and male dominated. For me, the opportunity to give
back to this wonderful sport is a great privilege. Today, women serve as
race personnel and administrators at every level. US Sailing has its first
woman President! Yet worldwide, at the highest echelons of management,
serving the sport is a privilege traditionally preserved for men and still
denied to women.

In the last 25 years women have nearly achieved in sailing what men have
assumed as birthright for centuries. What male ever heard, "sailing isn't
for boys"? Of sailors ages eight to eighty-eight, females exceed even the
25% President Henderson is reaching for. Surely, women should have at least
(at last) that much representation in ISAF.

CURMUDGEON'S QUOTATIONS
"Men are like a fine wine. They all start out like grapes, and it's our job
to stomp on them and keep them in the dark until they mature into something
you'd like to have dinner with." - Kathleen Mifsud